Hi forum — I just purchased my first EV. 2020 Prius Prime XLE. I’m in love with it. Wondering if I could seek some advice on a charging situation. Have read through a few of the topics/questions and not sure if I’m understanding what to do for my scenario. Just moved to an apartment complex and they have 2 x 240V charging outlets designated for EV’s. No charging cables though. As I only have the included 120V charging cable - was wondering if there was an adapter that could work or if I needed to purchase and entirely new 240V charger? Most of the questions I’ve come across involve home charging and installing the proper electrical equipment for your house but since there are already installed outlets, wanted to see what my options were. Thank you.
You could go either way. This: Using the Primes 120v Charger at 240 Volts, Cost $20 !!! | PriusChat Or buy a separate good quality 240V L2 EVSE (with a plug rather than the built-in version)
Thanks for the reply. I’ve seen this post and am still confused. Do I need to build it like this person has? Is there a link to the one adapter that I could purchase or do I need all this to properly convert the current! Feeling like a new charger is the way to go as I’m not very electrical-saavy. Is there a good moderately priced one I should look at? Also, the plug is NEMA 14-50R. Pic attached. Thank you.
You could build it. Or ask @Rob43 to make one and pay him for his parts, labour and shipping I got mine before Rob joined the forum so I ended up with a ClipperCreek 16A Level 2 EVSE LCS-20 | ClipperCreek Now I bought the one exactly for the Prime, rather than "future proofing" with the idea that maybe EVSE will be cheaper in the future or I'll have other options (like dual head charging, which is now available).
Your 110v charging system is ideal for when you're traveling but charge time is sometimes twice as long as what most commonly have at home when they set up their separate 220v system which is way faster. As in yes, they are separate systems and you want to have both in the long run.
Do they also have 120 V outlets easily accessible ? While it might be nice to charge faster sometimes, a plug-in HYBRID really doesn't need to do that most of the time. Edit: The plug you showed consists of two phases of 120, a neutral and a ground. Seems like a simple adapter using one 120 phase, neutral and ground should allow you to use the cord/charger that you already have. Adapters like that are common in the RV world.
REPLY: I had a dead 12v battery after a year even though car was driven at least every other day for 20-30 miles-having warranty Dealer replace for free. Question: Will 120 or 240 charging make the traction battery last longer ? I notice with 220 charging that the 220 cable from outlet gets quite warm and so I wonder if charging my 2020 Prius Prime Plugin periodically with 120v (slower charge) would make the traction batteries last longer ?
120 vs 240 charging has minimal effect on battery degradation. It's when you do DC fast charging (which PPs can't) that noticable battery degradation becomes an issue. This article helped me understand. What can 6,000 electric vehicles tell us about EV battery health? | Geotab
